2012 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize Winner

Tamas Dobozy Siege 13
Thomas Allen Publishers

"These stories are never less than breathtaking.

From the dark cityscapes of besieged Hungary to the émigré cafés of contemporary North America, Siege 13 spans continents and decades, and in doing so illustrates once again that old maxim: the short story can be both as broad and as deep as a novel. At times gently humorous, at times quietly wise, Dobozy’s thirteen stories dazzle with their psychological nuance and brilliant attention to detail."

About the Book

Thirteen linked stories surround the siege of Budapest, recounting one of the fiercest and longest battles of the Second World War. The collection documents episodes of awful carnage showing how Hungarians endured the horror of that 46-day conflict and how the haunting trauma shadows over the lives’ of survivors. Like the tale of Heléna, a Hungarian-Canadian immigrant who diplomatically tries to mend the relationship between László and Jenő, members of her family whose true identities were confused and transformed by the siege. A terrible time in human history, the ripple effects of the siege transcend generations raising emotional questions in these stories about war, family, loyalty, redemption, and a legacy of silence.

About the Author

Tamas Dobozy was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, and is currently an associate professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. His short story “The Restoration of the Villa Where Tibor Kalman Once Lived” won The O. Henry Award in 2011 and appears in this collection.